MASTERPIECE

MASTERPIECE

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Skirt: Thrifted 

Shirt: Target

Shoes: Cato's (this season) 

Purse: Vintage (COACH)

Necklace/Earings: Walmart 

Lipstick: Rimmel London Katie 01

"The greatest masterpieces were once only pigments on a palette." 

- Henry S. Hoskins 

I often look at portraits and masterpieces skilfully created and painted by the greats and wonder what was going through their mind. What was the spark inside of them that inspired such beautiful works of art? However, I have only to look at the world around me and see my reflection in the mirror to know exactly what must have been going through the artists mind! Art is brought forth by ideas, by passion, inspiration, the need to fill a void in life and by love of the artist for the art. In order to be art the artist must love it dearly, otherwise he will start over again until it is perfectly as he imagined in his head. Other times the artist might create something that he is not that proud of or different from the norm but he will let the onlookers be the judge. 

Then again, there are times I look at a masterpiece, or so called masterpiece simply because of the name that is scribbled in the bottom corner, and wonder "What was the artist thinking?" There are those works of art that in themselves are bizarre, completely uncaptivating, full of strangely sized people and misproportionate objects. When I look at those works of art, that in my own mind seem completely worthless or void of true talent and mastery, I realize that the artist must have known what he is doing and evidently so if the piece is in a gallery.....it might not be a work that everyone likes, but the artist loves it and there are others that might appreciate it to. 

The thing is, we are just like all of those great and valuable masterpieces that line the walls in museum gallery rooms for all eyes to see. We are masterpieces in and of ourselves. Granted, we might think our lives are a complete mess, that the artist simply mixed all the paint together and threw it on a canvas, but to the artist that mixed up painting was inspired by passion and love. To the artist that piece is a masterpiece and priceless even when others do not always think it is worth looking at. Just because an ancient statue has no arms doesn't mean it is not perfect. Just because a portrait of someone is geometrically out of proportion and oddly ugly doesn't mean the artists didn't see a beautiful work of art in and of itself staring back at him with eyes full of life! You are a masterpiece created by the ultimate creator and most famous and well known artist in the ENTIRE WORLD!! 

You are valuable because of who you are....because of your height, color, size, likes, dislikes, smile, frown, laugh.....everything! The creator of the universe created you out of his favorite colors and blended them to perfection until he captured the image in his mind.....he created you as a work of art because you were inspired by his passion and abounding love! You are part of a life long masterpiece being painted in the timeline of existence every day.....the signature on your life is all that matters and is all that should ever define you! The colors of your painting, the size of your figure, the expression that tells who you are......those are not what defines your masterpiece, it is the artist behind it! Therefore, live life knowing you are one of a kind....you are valuable.....you are treasured......and your life is a work of art because the artist painted it with love. 

_____________________________________________________________

Well that sure turned out to be a bit long, but it was soooooooooooo worth it! I had those words floating around in my head all this week and I couldn't wait to get them down into sentences. These pictures were taken a few weeks ago over my spring break. You might remember me talking about visiting the art museum and that is where these were taken! This day was actually the maiden voyage of my 50mm 1.8 camera lens and boy did it make all the difference when capturing these images inside.:) 

This day was such fun, spending it with two of my dear friends (pictures above), my mom, and my sister. It had been around 7 years since I had visited the art museum and it was so lovely going back and basking in the portraits and paintings of all the great artists! 

Of course, knowing that I would be visiting the art museum meant I was brainstorming for a week on what ensemble I should wear. Therefore, since the art museum is located in the elegant and high end portion of the museum district of the city (Houston) I thought it was the perfect occasion to embrace my inner chic city fashionista with a simple and classic look inspired by life in the uptown part of the city. I chose to pair my midi classic pleated black skirt with an even more classic white and black/grey striped quarter length shirt. To complete the look I chose to wear my tan pointed toe sued ankle buckle shoes and my vintage coach purse. All in all I loved how the look came together and it went so well with all of the paintings :) 

What are your thoughts on your life being a masterpiece? 

Have you ever been to an art museum? 

What would you wear to an art museum? 

-Madison

//Confessions of a Fashion Blogger// Motivation & Pops of Patriotism

//Confessions of a Fashion Blogger// Motivation & Pops of Patriotism

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Well dear readers, here I am with another week almost gone and the Easter weekend fast approaching! I have had a revelation about a series of posts that will be hitting the blog throughout April (I am so excited about sharing them with you all!! yay!!). Upon reading some of the recent posts by fellow bloggers, I realized how much I love to read post with raw transparency. You know, those posts where the blogger just lays it all out on the table and is totally honest about life, blogging, fashion, etc. So many times people might look at us and the way we dress thinking "Wow, she really has it all together!" and then throw being a fashion blogger into the mix and boy are we raised even higher on the pedestal! 

However, the truth is that there is no differentiation between fashion bloggers and everyone else, we are still just ordinary people. Just because we might always look nice wherever we go; have our hair fixed, makeup done, and wear a smashing ensemble, does not mean that we are "Perfect." We still wake up some days to have our minds draw blanks on what to wear as we stair at our closet blindly and decide that, "you know what, today I am wearing pajamas" (not really, but you get the point). Nonetheless, while I would love to address this issue today, it will have to wait another week or so, for today I will be addressing MOTIVATION!

What do I mean by Motivation? Well, have you ever had those days where you pick out a great ensemble, have a plan for taking pictures of it later and writing up a post on it, and then by the end of the day you have no motivation whatsoever for refreshing your look to go out and snap a few pics (just a few)? Yeah, you know what I mean! 

Monday was like that for me! I wore a comfortable outfit (since I had a cooking lab that day) and was planning on taking pictures later that day, but towards the end of the day I was almost to the point of  postponing the pictures....but of course two people in the span of two minutes just had to tell me how much they loved my outfit, so.... what was I to do? I kinda had to go and take pictures of it, you know??!!:):):) 

Then to top it off, there is the whole issue of the fact that I take my own pictures, using a trypod, so out with the gear, lug it to the picture spot, set it up, put the camera on self timer, press the button, run to the front of the camera, pose, check the pictures, ugh...they are blurry...try again, and repeat the process over till I get a wide range of decent shots (side note: I realized I cannot take self portraits in Manual, I have to use Auto to get them clear).

The thing is (and I am being fully transparent here), just because I am a fashion blogger does not mean that my whole life and mindset revolves around my blog (not totally, but mostly, :) ). To be honest, most days I schedule out to take pictures I end up being completely unmotivated for whatever reason; either I am tired, I really wasn't in love with my outfit, or I just plum do not want to go and take pictures! 

Of course taking pictures means that I will write up a post.....thus begins the process of brainstorming ahead of time or holding off on processing what I will write about because I am completely uninspired (and in those instances stare at a blank screen for ten minutes). While there are some days that the words do not come, most days I don't mind writing my posts, because it gives me an excuse to write (which I love), but if I have not planned in advance what the topic of discussion will be, I might draw blanks?

Shirt: Vintage (Minnie Muse); Sweater: Thrifted;
Jeans: Levi's (Thrifted); Shoes: Keds (almost dead ones)

Nevertheless, though there are days that I feel unmotivated to take pictures or write posts, I know that I can never let the fact of being unmotivated stop me. I have to keep on going even when I don't want to, because when it is finished I am always happy to have stayed with it:) Plus, it always brings a smile to my face when I see the finished project and read all of the sweet comments from you lovely readers! You keep me inspired and motivated, THANK YOU!!

In the end, being a fashion blogger is not always about appearing put together. It is about being transparent for your readers, letting them in, and sharing who you are, your struggles, and what inspires you. 

Before I wrap up this post however, I must write a short exerpt about what I wore on Monday. As I previously mentioned, I went pretty comfortable and casual (in my since) because I had a big lab project in my food prep class (which probably caused me to smell like Indian food most of the day). I chose to wear my trusty Levi high waisted jean capri pants, a blue and white stripped top, and a red sweater. All in all I ended up looking like a true patriot on the 4th of July, but I quite liked how everything went together :)

Necklace: James Avery (gift from my dance girls at church for graduation)

Never let the fact of not being motivated get you down....keep going!!

Hoppy Easter to all of you dear readers!!!

Do you every struggle with motivation when it comes to your blog?

What keeps you motivated?

Do you have any exciting Easter Plans?

  

//Life as I Live It// Be Different

//Life as I Live It// Be Different

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Well dear readers, It has been a little to long for my taste since I have been able to write a real post, so here is a little something "different" for you today. I have decided to start a series of posts titled "Life as I Live It," and will focus on a variety of topics.

I thought I would take the time and write something other than an outfit post :) These pictures are back from my graduation shoot but I guess I chose to share them today because they show the side of me that likes to be different. Now, that might sound strange and you are probably be wondering "How on earth do these pictures show how you are different?" Well, lets just say it has to do with this dress...partially at least....:)

Dress: Vintage (A Blast From The Past)

How does this dress tie into my post today? Well, first of all, this dress was a unique find at a fabulous store called "A Blast From The Past." Now, when I was perusing there store I was not looking for anything in particular but when I found this dress I fell in love....and right away I knew where I would wear it. I wore it to our Prom that year, so you can guess how this dress fits in with my post today:) Was anyone else there wearing a dress like me, um, no!!! I was definitely different but that is always what I go for!! 

I have been to my fair share of homeschool homecomings and prom over the years and each time I seized the opportunity to wear something completely old fashioned and different. Why? Because I have always been different, in more ways than one. Yes, as Christians we are called to be different and stand out, but sometimes we can start to blend in more than we ought. Thus, when given the opportunity to stand out and be noticed for my differences I am always a fan!

Homecomming 2012
Dress: Vintage

This brings me to the part of my post were I will talk about one of my convictions or views on a certain topic or area of my life. Therefore, here is a peak today into my views on the subject of being different through modesty.

First of all, I must say that my standards of modesty are probably different than some of you, but that is not to say that I do not hold modesty as a high standard (my mom actually just did a modesty talk for a group on Tuesday). I have always worn clothes that were appropriate and approved by my parents, while always dressing by my own personal convictions as well. 

There are definitely a wide range of modesty standards that I am sure all of you can attest to living by and each of us lives by different views, but as a whole we do it for a reason. The world has so degraded the way that it tells us to dress and sometimes people dress that way because they honesty do not know any better. However, modesty isn't necessarily dressing to cover ourselves, but more so to guard the eyes and hearts of guys that are around us. We do not want guys to be tempted when they see us because we know that every person we come into contact with is the future spouse of someone else. Thus, we should be dressing for our future husbands and to guard the hearts of others future husbands.

"Modesty isn't about the dress code, it is an attitude of the Heart."

Being modest in a modern world is being different! Realize that you will be noticed as someone who goes against the "status quo." You might sometimes be questioned, made fun of, or laughed at, but it is our calling from our Heavenly Father to clothe ourselves with modest of the heart and body. 

People think that if they dress the way the world tells them too that they will be noticed, but have you ever stopped to think that dressing against what the world says will make you noticed? Not noticed in a bad way, but noticed for being different, going against the flow and standing out!! When you are different people will notice you for the reasons you are different and because of this we have a greater impact on those around us!

Take the stand and BE DIFFERENT!!!

BELIEVE IN

YOURSELF

Don't forget about my Q&A video coming next week, so leave a comment with questions you would like me to answer!!

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day

Saturday, February 14, 2015

On behalf of all the support of you lovely and dear readers, I wanted to wish you a very happy Valentines Day (obviously!). I know some of you might not celebrate this holiday, or if you do, you might choose to celebrate it differently, but no matter how you view this day, always remember the "True Love" that all of us have received through our savior Jesus Christ !! 

Love comes in many different shapes and forms. Some of us might view love as a fairytale (like me sometimes), but in all honestly, love is not truly emotions and butterflies....Love is Promise Keeping!!

Paul writes in Corinthians 13:4-7: 

" Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 

"ALWAYS"

That is a promise...no matter what happens...no matter what is said...no matter what is done...LOVE IS THE GREATEST!!! (1Corinthans 13:13) 

Even if you don't celebrate this day, take the time to show someone the "True Love" that was shown to us so many years ago.

Ephesians 3:18-20

 "I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."